The June 2025 google update didnt cause an uproar as did the September 2023 and March 2024 Core Update, here is what I have learned
As an SEO specialist with 5 years of battle-tested experience, I’ve witnessed more Google updates than I care to count. But nothing—and I mean nothing—prepared me for the earthquake that was the March 2024 core update, and now we’re dealing with yet another seismic shift with June 2025.
Looking Back at the March 2024 Massacre
Let me take you back to March 2024, when Google decided to drop the hammer on what they called “low-quality, unoriginal content.” The update was brutal, promising to reduce unhelpful content by 40% (they actually achieved a 45% reduction). Google didn’t just tweak their algorithm—they completely rewrote the rules of engagement.
The intent was clear: eliminate sites created primarily to match search queries rather than help people. They introduced new spam policies targeting scaled content abuse, site reputation abuse, and expired domain abuse. Translation? If you were gaming the system, you were about to get served a reality check on a silver platter.
The Great SEO Heist That Shocked Everyone
Right around this time, the SEO community was already reeling from Jake Ward’s infamous “SEO heist.” This guy used Byword.ai to clone ExcelJet’s content, creating 1,800 articles in hours and stealing 3.6 million visits. The target? ExcelJet, a legitimate Microsoft Excel tutorial site that had built their authority over years.
Ward’s client, Causal, saw their traffic explode from 200,000 to over 610,000 monthly visits. But here’s the kicker—when the March update rolled out, they crashed harder than a Windows 95 machine. By December 2023, they’d plummeted to just 190,000 visits, ending up worse than before the heist began.
The irony was delicious, but the implications were terrifying. If AI could generate thousands of articles overnight and temporarily fool Google’s algorithm, what did that mean for the rest of us grinding away at creating genuine value?
The Verge Drops a Nuclear Take
While we were all processing the aftermath of the September 2023 update and the SEO heist drama, The Verge published their infamous piece: “The people who ruined the internet.”
The article was pure PR dynamite, essentially arguing that SEOs had transformed the web into a “search-optimized hellhole.” As someone who’s spent years trying to help businesses get found online, reading that piece felt like getting slapped with a wet fish.
But I couldn’t deny the kernel of truth buried in their critique—too many SEOs had been prioritizing algorithms over humans.
The piece painted us as modern-day pirates (which, let’s be honest, some of us wore as a badge of honor), but it also exposed the fundamental tension in our industry: the constant battle between creating value and gaming systems.
The LinkedIn and X Uproar
The aftermath of March 2024 was unlike anything I’d seen in my career. My LinkedIn and X feeds turned into digital war zones. SEOs were sharing screenshots of traffic drops that looked like ski slopes. Entire websites vanished from search results overnight. I watched colleagues who’d built successful agencies suddenly scramble to explain to clients why their organic traffic had fallen off a cliff.
The human cost was real. People lost jobs. Agencies folded. The lucky ones pivoted to other marketing channels, but many weren’t so fortunate. It was a sobering reminder that our livelihoods depend on the whims of an algorithm we don’t fully understand.
AI Overview: The SERP Real Estate Grab
As if algorithm updates weren’t challenging enough, Google decided to roll out AI Overview more broadly. This feature now sits pretty at the top of search results, reducing click-through rates by 30-34% according to recent studies.
The numbers are staggering: BrightEdge research shows that the top organic result now gets a 32% CTR drop when AI Overview appears. For those of us in the SEO trenches, this means fighting for scraps while Google’s AI feast on our content to answer user queries directly in the SERPs.
The June 2025 Update: What We Know So Far
The Update Timeline and Scope
The June 2025 core update rolled out from June 30 to July 17—taking over two weeks to fully implement. Google called it “a regular update designed to better surface relevant, satisfying content for searchers from all types of sites.”
Translation from corporate-speak: They’re still fine-tuning their response to the AI content explosion while trying to surface genuinely helpful content.
Who’s Been Affected?
The interesting twist with this update? Some sites are actually recovering. After nearly two years of radio silence, we’re seeing partial recoveries from the devastating September 2023 helpful content update. Sites that had been completely wiped out are suddenly showing signs of life.
But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. The update has also brought fresh casualties:
- Greek websites and publishers are reporting significant traffic declines
- Some sites that weathered March 2024 are now feeling the pinch
- Publishers in particular seem to be caught in the crossfire
However, here’s the plot twist that caught everyone off guard: some websites that were devastated by the March 2024 update are now seeing recovery signs with the September 2024 update. It’s like watching the SEO equivalent of a Phoenix rising from the ashes—unexpected, miraculous, but happening nonetheless.
The AI Overview Impact
Since the AI Overview rollouts, there is been a perfect storm. Sites are dealing with:
- Reduced organic click-through rates
- Competition with AI-generated summaries
- The need to optimize for both traditional search and AI consumption
What We Should Monitor Moving Forward
1. Recovery Patterns from Previous Updates
For the first time since September 2023, we’re seeing genuine recoveries, and the September 2024 update is bringing hope to sites that were hit hard by March 2024. If your site was affected by any previous updates, monitor:
- Organic traffic trends (weekly, not daily)
- Keyword ranking improvements
- Changes in click-through rates
- User engagement metrics
2. AI Overview Optimization
With AI Overview appearing in more searches, focus on:
- Structured content that AI can easily parse
- Clear, authoritative answers to common questions
- Topic clustering around your expertise areas
- Schema markup to help Google understand your content context
3. E-E-A-T Signals
The emphasis on Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness isn’t going away:
- Author bylines and credentials
- Citation and reference quality
- User-generated content and reviews
- Topical authority through comprehensive coverage
4. Traffic Source Diversification
The days of relying solely on Google organic are over:
- Email marketing for direct audience connection
- Social media for brand building and traffic
- Referral partnerships with relevant sites
- Paid advertising as a safety net
5. Content Quality Indicators
Google’s getting better at detecting genuinely helpful content:
- User engagement metrics (time on page, bounce rate)
- Social signals and sharing patterns
- Brand mention quality and context
- Content freshness and update frequency
The Publisher Struggle and the September Silver Lining
Greek websites and publishers worldwide are feeling the squeeze from the June 2025 update. The combination of AI Overview reducing clicks and algorithm updates favoring established authority sites is creating a challenging environment for smaller publishers.
What’s particularly interesting is the September 2024 update phenomenon. While some sites are experiencing fresh challenges with June 2025, others are finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel thanks to the September 2024 update that brought unexpected recoveries for sites that had been struggling since March 2024.
Lessons from the Battlefield
After surviving multiple algorithm earthquakes, here’s what I’ve learned:
1. Diversify or Die
Relying solely on Google organic traffic is like building your house on quicksand. The most successful businesses I know treat SEO as one piece of a larger marketing puzzle.
2. Quality Beats Quantity Every Time
Jake Ward’s heist might have worked temporarily, but it ultimately failed because it prioritized volume over value. Google’s getting scary good at detecting authentic expertise versus regurgitated content.
3. Adapt or Become Irrelevant
The SEO tactics that worked in 2020 are not just ineffective—they’re dangerous in 2025. AI Overview, E-E-A-T signals, and user experience factors are the new ranking realities.
4. Think Beyond Keywords
Modern SEO is about understanding user intent, providing comprehensive solutions, and building genuine authority in your niche.
5. Hope Isn’t Lost
The September 2024 update proved that Google doesn’t permanently bury good sites. Recovery is possible, but it requires patience, persistence, and genuine value creation.
Final Thoughts: Embrace the Chaos
The June 2025 update is just another chapter in Google’s ongoing quest to organize the world’s information. As SEOs, our job isn’t to fight these changes—it’s to understand them, adapt to them, and use them to create better experiences for real people.
Yes, it’s frustrating when years of work can be undone by an algorithm update. Yes, it’s scary when AI Overview reduces our hard-earned clicks. But the September 2024 recoveries prove that it’s also an opportunity to separate the true SEO professionals from the keyword stuffers and link schemers.
The websites that will thrive in this new landscape are those that genuinely serve their audiences, regardless of what Google’s algorithm rewards in the short term. Because at the end of the day, that’s what Google is ultimately trying to achieve—connecting people with the information they need, when they need it.
The rollercoaster isn’t slowing down anytime soon. The question is: are you building for the next loop, or just trying to survive the current one?
What’s your experience been with the June 2025 update? Are you seeing recovery signs from the September 2024 update, or facing new challenges? Share your thoughts in the comments—we’re all learning together in this wild world of search.
